Lighting system for automobile lifts



y 1932- w. E. THIBODEAUX I 1,859,349

LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILE LIFTS Filed Aug. 11, 19:50 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 {NYE/V707 fihumiii/womul y 1932' v w. E. THIBODEAUX 1,859,349

LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILE LIFTS Filed Aug. 11., 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 an 2 ma 3o 2 J'n/nmra/ Mum (El /5005401 rrmrmex 15 wheels- Patented May 24, 1932 WILLIAM E. THIIBODEAUX, F CLEVELAND, OHIO LIGHTING- SYSTEM' FOR AUTOMOBILE LIFTS Application filed August 11,1939. semi my. 474,559.

This. invention relates to improvements in means for lighting the understructure of" an automobile when it is supported upon a' lift or elevator, such as is now largely employed for raising automobiles in order that access may be; hadto the underbody thereof for examinatiomadjustment; greasing. and other purposes.

When an automobile is raised on such a lift it is evident that while: light is readily provided for the exterior parts of the'car that no matter how efficient the lighting system may be, little if any light is; thrown on those parts of the car which are between the this-it has; been necessary to use portable lights of various kinds which are moved and hung around beneath the: superstructure of the auto furnish light, the results ob.-

- tained however being more or less a makeshift and ineflicient.

The: objects of the presentinvention are:

To providea simple and efficientmeansfor supporting a lighting system which will efiiciently light up the car understructure with a minimum of shaded points, if not entire absence thereof, which will be self supporting, and will be readily: adjustable to bringthe lights into proper relation to parso'ticularparts. of the car which are being worked on.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects are accomplished and the manner oftheir accomplishment will readily be understood from the following specification 'by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig- 1: is a perspective view of one form of lift table new in common use, showing my lighting device carried thereby;

Fig.2 is a fragmentary plan showing the device slightly modified applied to a modified form of table.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken as on the line III-J11 of Fig. 2; and i g M Fig. 4 a similar section on the line IVIV ofFigzL' Referring'now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicatedby numerals,

lfi indicates the plunger ofa vehicle lift or i In order to minimize and correct through the conduits to the lights.

elevator which. plunger may be raised or lowered in usual or desired manner. Carried'bythe upper end of this plunger is a head 11 to which are secured a pairoftransverse strutsFlEZ, which support a pair of rails 13; These rails in usual practice are lowered to the surface of the ground so.- that an automobile. may be 'driven thereon and when centeredjover the plunger, maybe blocked to prevent longitudinal displacement and thereafter be raised.

Holes-14L are pro-vidediin of the trans v verse beams 12 and through these holes two longitudinally disposed sections ofconduit pipelS-and 16-are'disp.osed.. These two. sectionsof pipe-t form the side members of a rectangular frame whichis completed by similar'but shorter transverse sections of pipe 17 and 18. Thepipe 17 is connected to the pipes15 and. 16-by Ts 19 and the'pipe 18 to the opposite ends of these same pipes by condulets 20'. v This pipe isinterrupted'and a similar condulet 2,1 placed therein.

Each of the Ts 19 carries a socket 22 in '26 is a cable carrying wires leading from a source of current not shown to-providelighh ing current; 27 is a separable plug member on this cable and 28 the complementary plug member; supported by the condulet 21, and I connected to the current wires leading Should the lift bepowered by a motor (not shown), in the plunger or head a similar plug member 28A may be mounted on one of rails 13 adj'acent' the head 11 and the plug member 27 be used optionally for power orlighting. The wiring through the conduits being usual and well knownneed not here be shown.

tudinal positioning of the lights relatively to the various parts of a car which is supported on the rails; l a

tea

which is disposed alight bulb '23; 24- is a? When the conduits have been drawn out to their full limit in either direction there is a tendency for the free end to sagdown. To overcome this, guides 29 may be secured to the rails 13 and slides 30 be attached to the conduits, these slides engaging and being slidable along the guides. Preferably bars 31 are extended from side to side beneath the conduits 17 and 18, and are secured thereto in desired manner, the ends of these bars forming parts of the slides 30. The light from each bulb is thrown directly upward and also transversely across to the opposite side so that complete and efiicient illumination of the under parts of the auto are .had and even where obstructions are temporarily between one light and certain parts of the machine, ordinarily the other light isfully efficient.

' It isof course obvious that this device may 7 be used with other forms of lifting table such as that which is known as a free wheel table. and such form of table is shown in section in Fig. 3, in which 13A are rails which are'supported directly by the plunger head 11A, these rails engaging directly, or as.

through shoes 32, the auto axleto raise the auto. In this m'odificationthe longitudinal frame members 15A, 16A, are shown of angle iron instead of pipe and in such case similar members' may be used for the transverse members, I prefer also in thisform to carry the light bulbs 23 on short flexible conduits 82 which may be bent upward or downward to position the lights above or below the rails If desired slides 30A may be used in this type also, these slides preferably sliding on flanges of the rails 13A.

It will readily be seen that while I prefer to use conduit pipe and thereby protect the cable against'oil and grease, this is not absolutely necessary, since other sections such as the one shown in Figs. 3 and 4;, may readily be substituted.

Itis also'to be d'istinctly understood that T while I prefer to use the transverse member 17 as a part of the frame it may be dispensed with if so desired. .Also the flexible arm may be used in connection with other forms should that be deemed necessary.

It will be noted also that the bottom of the light bulbs 23 and theassociated structure is above the bottom of the lift table and .the topof these bulbs and parts, below the top of the table, so that the entire lighting device lies within the vertical limits of the table and is thereby protected from striking the fioor when the lift is lowered or from being struck by parts of the auto being placed thereover. V

In using the device the table is lowered. an'auto driven on and raised in the usual manner. The separable plug-parts 27and 28 are then connected to turn onthe lights, and

. bulbs.

the frame carrying the, lights is shifted longitudinally forward or backward along the rails to position the lights with desired relation to the parts of the auto to be worked to position the light laterally as shown in Fig. 2, by the dotted position 28A; upward to the position 2313; or downward to the position'23C; so that the rails 18A will not in- Vhere the flexible conduit section 33 shown 7 in Figs. 2 and 3, is used, sections may be bent terfere with light from the bulb reaching the desired part of the auto.

Having described my invention, claim is: 1. In an automobile lift having longitudinal rails, a plurality of rigidly interconnected lights, disposed between said rails,

what I slidably supported by said lift, and shiftable relatively to said rails. Y

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a horizontally disposed lift table, of a frame of conduit pipe supported by said table and within the horizonposed along and between said rails, said pipes and longitudinally Slldbeing supported by, able relative to, said lift, transverse conduit pipes rigidly connecting said longitudinal pipes into a rigid frame, a plurality of light bulbs carried by said pipes, and current wires leading'through said conduits to said bulbs.

4. In a device of the character descrlbed the combination with a vertically movable lift including a pair of longitudinally disposed vehicle supporting rails and 'a trans verse support carrying said rails, said trans verse support being apertured adjacent said rails, of means for illuminating a vehicle supported onsaid ralls, comprlsmg a pair of parallel longitudinal conduits, one disposed V posed through the corresponding apertures, Whereby'said conduits are slidably carried by said supports, transverse conduits connecting said longitudinal conduits into a rigid frame, light bulbs carried by saidrconduits,

adjacent each of said rails and slidably disandcurrent wires leading froma source of electricity through said conduits to said 5. In a device of the characterfdescribed -the combination with a'vertically movable -lift including a pair of longitudinally dis posed vehicle supporting rails and a transverse support carrying said rails, said transverse support being apertured adjacent said rails, of means for illuminating a Vehicle supported on said rails, comprising a pair of parallel longitudinal members, one disposed adjacent each of said rails and slidably disposed through the corresponding apertures,

whereby said members are slidably carried by said supports, transverse members con necting said longitudinal members into a rigid frame, light bulbs carried by said frame and current Wires leading from a source of 1 electricity along said members to said bulbs. In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

WILLIAM E. THIBODEAUX. 

